usual view of a basking shark

diver's view of a basking shark

Common Seals and Grey Seals are seen throughout the Hebrides, from Oban Bay to St Kilda with pups visible in June and September. Grey seals are very "dog like" in appearance and you'll probably spot one or two hopefuls hanging about in Oban Bay before we even untie the boat. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see stills from a video of a cheeky seal approaching a diver's video camera, giving it a quick kiss then swimming off to plant a sneaky kiss on the top of his surprised buddy's head!

young seal at St Kilda

group of common seals

Otters are notoriously difficult to spot which makes people think they are rare. This is not so. Otters are everywhere but they are difficult to see, not least because they are so well camouflaged against rocks and seaweed. Dedicated otter spotters get up early and are vigilant at both dawn and dusk - and are frequently rewarded with sightings of otters playing or feeding. 

otters at sea

blending in to bladderwrack

We are seeing increasing numbers of Ocean Sunfish - the world's heaviest bony fish (average weight 1000kg) - a couple of sightings per year. Native to tropical waters the extremely strange looking creatures appear to be moving north as ocean temperatures gradually rise.

ocean sunfish in Hebridean seas

common seal

"ooh...is that a diver?..."

"has he got a camera?..."

"mwah! my favourite!"

"ooh I say...hell-oh..."